Writer’s Wisdom 26

Scheduling your time to write is as important as going to work everyday, that is, if you are a serious writer. If this is how you earn your money, then with more reason. If you wait for inspiration, your Muse may keep you waiting for an entire day (or days), and you’ll be left without a single written word.

When you set aside a block of time for writing, your brain will start recognizing that period for what it is – writing time. There are times when inspiration will visit you outside the scheduled time, and by all means, answer your Muse’s call. But we are not talking here about those instances, we are talking about being disciplined with your writing. Whatever length of time you have available, will depend on your daily schedule. Even when you have a hectic pace of life and crazy working hours, if you manage to block even 10 minutes of writing everyday, it will help you hone your writing skills.

But what if you can’t think of something to write about? Sit down to write anyway, and start writing anything that comes to mind. One word will follow the next one, and before you realize it, you will have a paragraph, a page or a couple of sentences on something. This could become material for future writings, ideas on a theme, or a story might develop from it.

On writing, you don’t know when your next story is going to come from. Sometimes, it is from a dream; other times, an article you read or a painting you saw. Or maybe, from the chicken scratches left at your scheduled writing time.